Hello and welcome.
And today's word is legacy.
What will you be leaving behind when you're gone?
Well,
Quite a big question this one,
Is it not?
Legacy isn't just about our wealth,
Of course,
Or even our reputation.
It's really much more about the impact you have on others and the mark you leave on the world.
Imagine living a life where your actions have inspired and uplifted others,
Creating a lasting difference in their life.
And imagine your legacy is built through your values and contributions and relationships,
Whether big or small,
The way you live today shapes how you'll be remembered.
And living with intention,
Of course,
Ensures that the impact you leave behind aligns with your highest values.
And legacy is quite an important area for us to really start thinking about and connecting to the meaning and importance of this magical adventure that we're on.
And of course,
As we all know,
It's not always easy,
But often we make it more difficult than we need to.
But for people who are around us who we could have an impact on,
What a wonderful gift to give back to the world whilst we're here on this journey.
Thinking about legacy,
Just thinking about it can be very,
Very powerful because it really does push us into making meaningful decisions,
Meaningful contributions.
It makes us a bit more self-aware.
It makes us much more conscious of the impact that possibly every word we speak may have on the world around us and on how we then leave this earthly lifetime.
So a strong legacy is really not just reserved for historical figures,
Although it's often used in that way.
We talk about the legacy and we think of politicians or people that were at war or artists who are still very strong and prevalent at the forefront of our minds.
But teachers,
Mentors,
Everyday individuals shape the world around them through small,
Consistent acts of kindness and guidance.
Is that person you?
Would you like to be doing more of that?
Those are questions we want to start thinking about today.
Albert Einstein,
With his scientific discoveries and his philosophy on curiosity and perseverance,
He still influences generations today,
Demonstrating that intellectual contribution can leave a lasting impact on humanity.
Think of all those people who've written books and think of all those people who've led magnificent lives but haven't written books,
But perhaps helped others do so,
Or shared their stories of inspiration with the younger generation and it may have helped somebody along the way.
Research from the Stanford Center of longevity indicates that individuals who reflect on their legacy tend to experience higher levels of well-being and reduced anxiety about aging.
And I can remember a workshop I went to years ago where we were all asked to write a eulogy for our own funerals.
Very powerful,
Very difficult at the time,
But also strangely cathartic.
So today,
Three things that I'm going to invite you to consider doing today.
The first one is really identify how you want to be remembered.
Do you want to be remembered as somebody who was caring,
Somebody who was courageous,
Somebody who was incredibly beautiful,
Somebody who was an amazing artist,
Somebody who uplifted others,
Or somebody who discovered something new,
Or who was always discovering new things and never gave up?
Number two,
Invest a bit of time with people,
Helping them and sharing knowledge with others and see how you lighten their day.
And if you haven't done this before,
This might be a really great thing to try and see what your reaction is and what their reaction is.
Because I do meet people with lack of confidence who don't feel that they have anything valuable to share.
And when I encourage them to share something with others,
They come back transformed human beings,
Realizing that actually they do have valuable things to say to the right people.
And some people will always gain value from what someone else has to say.
When we learn that,
It's such a profound curve in our growth.
And number three,
Live in alignment with your values every day.
And to do that,
I encourage you today to write down your top 10 values,
Get clear on your values,
And start living them more every day.
We're going to end with a quote by Shannon Alder,
Carve your name on hearts,
Not tombstones.
